Recap: Tenn-Martin vs. Eastern Ill

Martin, Tennessee (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Liabo came off the bench to score 20 points and lead the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks to an 84-77 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers in an Ohio Valley Conference showdown at the Elam Center.

Terence Smith had an efficient offensive game for the Skyhawks (7-15, 2-5 OVC) by scoring 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point territory. Dee Oldham scored 12 points and Khristian Taylor added 11 and a game-high five assists. The Skyhawks have now won two of the past three games after enduring a six game losing streak.

Reserve Chris Oliver scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor to lead the Panthers (6-13, 3-5). Sherman Blanford had a solid double-double with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 13 rebounds. Keenen Anderson scored 11 points for the Panthers, who have now lost five of their past seven contests.

The Panthers held a 37-34 lead at halftime after shooting 55.2 percent of their field goal attempts, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, the Skyhawks shot just 42.4 percent.

In the second half the Skyhawks shooting improved remarkably. They hit 15- of-25 shots from the floor, including a 6-of-8 effort on 3-point tries. The Panthers still managed to hit half of their 30 attempts in the frame, but failed to hit a single three.

The Panthers outrebounded the Skyhawks 38-25 to go with a 46-30 advantage in points in the paint. The Skyhawks scored 10 more points on the fast break and 21 additional points from 3-point range.